Student Success Story: Christine

What challenges did you have before Excel University?

My name is Christine Grinter from New Albany, Ohio. I am an accountant for the federal government, and I have used Excel throughout my career.

However, as I moved up in my career, functions and connecting spreadsheets became difficult because I only knew the basics.

I needed to connect my spreadsheets effectively and not have people easily break them.

What has changed since you joined Excel University?

Since starting with Excel University, I have found that I can analyze things quicker. I can open up several spreadsheets and determine what I am doing efficiently.

The course has helped me determine what techniques I need to use quickly when presented with a new problem.

I have learned that there are a lot of different methods to get the job done with Excel, but you do not always need the most complex or lengthy process to get the job done.

My latest example of this would be when I took a government accounting test. I couldn't figure out why I was out of balance.

I used conditional formatting to figure out where the imbalance problem was. Tracing methods like this have been an absolute godsend and have increased my productivity.

What makes Excel University better than searching Google or YouTube?

What makes Excel University so worthwhile is that I can go back to the content and quickly find solutions to my problems.

Since finishing this class, I have researched how to do certain things successfully. Even more helpful is the ability to reach out to Jeff and ask for his help and advice.

Jeff also provides many articles and little different snippets that are super helpful. Anytime I am unsure, I can go into Excel University and look it up and get new information that keeps me up to date in the process.

What is one of your favorite time-saving techniques?

In my final exam, I had to go from a pre-closing trial balance to a statement of cash flows. I entered the information for that from whatever requirements they had.

Usually, a task like this would take me hours. I had already set up spreadsheets from my other assignments, and I would do everything that trickled down.

As a result, my final took two hours as opposed to eight. I was able to trace back and find where my entries were. And I did not have to recreate the spreadsheet again.

One of the things that my instructor emphasized most was setting up systems that eliminate repetitive tasks. Having this philosophy reduces the duplication of effort.

Would you recommend Excel University?

I recommend Excel University all the time at work. Developing skills with Excel is not always something that people consider.

I have taken advanced Excel training before. It is so fast-paced. They give you two seconds to do this and two seconds to do that, and you are expected to learn advanced Excel in two hours.

With Excel University, I can take things at a slower pace. I have the time to figure it out, so I always recommend it to other people.